Transaction-initiated batch processing

• US 7,958,188 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lau, Kin, D'Angelo, Dario, Smith, Alan Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tiv; Backhean
• Application Number:
  US11/744,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20080275944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1-202, 713/156, 714 20- 48, 717/136, 718101-105, 380/46
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing

Abstract

A system and method is provided for initiating batch processing on a computer system from a terminal. The method generates a message from the terminal, where the message defines a transaction to be performed on a computer system. The transaction schedules and runs a program that extracts data from the message. The message is then transmitted to the computer system. The data is then used to generate batch job control language and a batch job is run on the computer system. The output of the batch job is then routed back to the terminal.

Claims

1. A method for initiating batch processing on a server from a client computer comprising:

generating a message from said client computer, said message identifying a transaction to be initiated on said server, said transaction scheduling and running a program that extracts data from said message wherein said client computer is web-based and a web-based userid is submitted with said message;

transmitting said message to said server;

using said data to generate a batch job control language;

running said batch job on said server to generate an output; and

routing said output of said batch job to said client computer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of using a transaction management system of said server to run said program.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of determining which ones of a set of job control language skeletons to include in said job control language.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising mapping data from said message into said job control language skeletons, and generating a job control language stream from said job control language skeletons.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising using a message processing region job control language component to submit said job control language stream to said server.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said server includes a database management system.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said server includes a mainframe operating system.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising using said database management system to pass said message to said transaction management system.

9. A computer implemented method for initiating batch processing in a server comprising:

receiving a request to perform a batch process from a client computer, said request including data wherein said client computer is web-based and a web-based userid is submitted with the request;

extracting said data from said request;

mapping said data into a job control language (JCL) skeleton;

generating a batch job control language for said JCL skeleton;

running said batch job on said server to generate an output; and

returning said output to said client computer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said batch job control language is generated in a message processing region job control language module.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of using a transaction management system of said server to run said batch job.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of determining which ones of a set of JCL skeletons to include in said JCL.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said server includes a database management system.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said server includes a mainframe operating system.

15. The method of claim 14 comprising using a message processing region job control language component to generate said job control language.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising a database management system component for connecting said terminal to said server.

17. A computer program product for batch processing in a server coupled to a web based client computer, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code executed by the server to;

read a message containing a batch job request from the web based client computer wherein said client computer is web based and a web based userid is submitted with said message;

parse said message to extract data;

map said data onto a job control language (JCL) skeleton;

format an output of said mapping process so that it can be submitted to web-based users;

generate a set of batch JCL streams; and

submit said JCL streams to a transaction management system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to determine which ones of a set of JCL skeletons to include in said JCL.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to map data from said message into said JCL skeletons, and generate a JCL stream from said JCL skeletons.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to use a message processing region JCL component to submit said JCL stream to said server.

21. A computer system comprising:

a database;

a server computer coupled to said database;

a client computer coupled to said server computer through the internet;

a database management system coupled to said server computer and to said database having a message processing region, said database management system including a message processing region containing an application program and a control region containing a message queue;

said client computer including a program for providing a message from said client computer to said message queue, said message defining a batch job transaction to be performed on said server computer wherein said client computer is web-based and a web-based userid is submitted with said message;

wherein said batch job transaction schedules and runs a program that extracts data from said message, said data being used to generate a batch job control language, said batch job control language being used to run said batch job on said server computer; and

said server generating an output from said batch job and transmitting said output to said client computer through said internet.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said server computer further comprises an application program including a message reader that associates a transaction name defined in said message to the name of an application within said application program.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said application program further comprises a message parse and job control language (JCL) mapping module for parsing said message, generating JCL for invoking batch processing and mapping variables from said message into said JCL.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said message parse and JCL unit dynamically accepts character strings from said message to be used to identify parameters or components to be mapped into JCL skeletons.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said application program further comprises an output formatting unit for formatting said output such that it can be routed to specified web-based userids.